Is it just an early April Fool’s stunt? Twenty thousand buyers hope not, although it’s true that the flamethrowers — which appear to be converted air guns — are due to start shipping in spring.

Another slightly suspicious sign is this Boring Company caveat: “Before shipping, aspiring flamethrower aficionados will be sent a terms and conditions rhyme for review and acceptance.”

The website also says the flamethrowers “may not be used on Boring Company decorative lacquered hay bales or Boring Company dockside munitions warehouses.”

That sounds like a dealbreaker to me.

Musk certainly made hay out of the sale, which traces its origins to a tweet in which he promised to offer flamethrowers if the Boring Company sold 50,000 of its $20 logo hats. Here are some of the tweets that Musk used in his sales pitch:

When the zombie apocalypse happens, you’ll be glad you bought a flamethrower. Works against hordes of the undead or your money back!

Musk even temporarily changed his Twitter bio to “Zombie Defender” to match the theme.

Running around with a flamethrower sounds like a teenager’s dream — or a parent’s nightmare. The 46-year-old father of five insists that the Boring Company version will be safer than a steak knife, spewing a flame no farther than 10 feet. Flamethrowers aren’t federally regulated, but California law requires a permit for devices that throw flames 10 feet or more.

After the flamethrower sale began, Miguel Santiago, a California state lawmaker, said he was outraged by Musk’s gambit, particularly since it was coming in the wake of a devastating wildfire season. He promised to introduce legislation to block the sale. “NOT FUNNY,” Santiago tweeted. “NOT GONNA HAPPEN.”

It could be a couple of months before we start seeing user reviews of the darn things, or any sort of regulatory action, or any admission that the whole thing was a joke. In the meantime, Musk has more than enough to occupy his attention.